Ghost Photos – Phantoms or Fakes?

byCraig Hamilton-Parker

Phantoms or Fakes?

These images are samples from my magazine columns. Every picture has been carefully scrutinised and the originals have in some cases been enlarged to check for Photo-Shop tricks or film flaws. I have examined thousands of ghost pictures and know most of the tricks of how to fake a picture or the common misconceptions and misunderstandings about what counts for a genuine ghost picture.

As we know photographs can be easily manipulated using Adobe Photo-Shop but they are quite easy to spot. What is harder to explain are ghost pictures and photographs that appear spontaneously but are not the result of common faults such as lens flare, orbs from moisture and dust, double exposure, faulty film, condensation on the lens and so on…

Is this photograph real or a fake?

This was taken along with dozens of other pictures at Louisburgh Fortress in Louisburgh Nova Scotia Canada. The fortress is original and a national park; it was the site of many battles between French and English troops to gain control of the area. When I took the picture nothing was strange in the room but it turned out with what looks like someone in old clothes\dress stitching the bed or maybe a dress? I can’t tell. It’s creepy either way.

You comment that the rooms and fabrics were so delicate that flash photography was not allowed. I would have loved to know if a glass panel also shielded this room. If so, the ‘ghost’ could be a reflection of a picture on a wall behind you. It is however very strange how the bed in the foreground actually comes in front of the grey ghost. If it were a reflection we would expect to see parts of the image superimposed on the bed. A very strange picture indeed!

NOTE: Camera: 100% Digital camera, I couldn’t use my film camera in the fortress because flash photography was not allowed as it would damage the rooms or fabrics etc, a digital was the only one that could have turned out pictures without the use of a flash.

Weird Ghost of a Child

Sender’s Comments: I visited this Ghost house with my friend back in August, no one has lived in the house since 1970 it belongs to a family Business. When we were inside, our heads felt like they could explode, we felt the energy being sucked right out of us. for 3 times we went in but we couldn’t stay in longer than 2 or 3 minutes. We felt a lot of negative energy and we heard strange unidentified noises. When we had put the photo’s from camera on computer we never say anything on this photo’s and believe me we watched them very often to search for something. This Monday all of a sudden we saw the girl, a ghost-cat and a woman with here arms up and smiling (at me!) when we took the photo’s in that house we only felt things but could not see them. My friends think that the girl looks evil but I think she is just shy with here arms behind here back.

Craig’s Verdict: It could be argued that because a poor quality camera was used the ‘ghost’ could be caused by light seepage. There are certainly no signs of retouching or superimposed images. What is convincing is the fact that all of you felt something strange was going on at the location which already had a reputation for being haunted. The noises, the atmosphere and the sighting of the ghost cat all suggest that there were paranormal phenomena present. I am inclined to believe that this is a ghost captured on camera.

NOTE: Camera: Genius, 3,1 mega-pixels G-shot D211

Strange Haunted House Picture

Sender’s Comments: My wife and I went to San Jose California in 2003. We decided to go on the Winchester Mystery House tour and look what I snapped….its really creepy because I’m not one who really believes in Ghost…please note we did not have any old people on our tour and I purposely stayed back to take better pictures. To my knowledge there was no one near me at the time I took this picture. I did some research on Sarah Winchester and found a couple of photos that were taken of her and their is a resemblance….have you seen any photos like this before?? Maybe the image was put there on purpose I don’t know …but it’s interesting.

Craig’s Verdict: To be honest I think that this is simply a reflection. If you look to the left of the picture there’s a white sheen – which suggests to me that this picture has been taken through glass. Someone could have walked behind you and your camera caught their reflection. However, there is certainly a spooky element to this picture when you consider the story of the dead owner of the house. Sarah Winchester was the wife of William Winchester who made his fortune from the famous ‘Winchester Repeating Rifle’. Sarah believed she was cursed and spent much of her life doing weird things to her house to keep evil spirits away. Tragedy struck her family many times and blaming the evil spirits, Sarah turned to many mediums, priests and Spiritualists to exorcise her home. What I find intriguing is that the face in the photo is in some ways quite similar to that of the dead Sarah Winchester. PHOTO CREDIT: Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA

NOTES: Camera: Sony DSC-P72 Digital camera

The Screaming Ghost

Sender’s Comments: I took this picture where no one was standing or sitting down. It was an accident that the picture was even taken. I’ve looked at it and can’t figure out what it is and why if it was someone’s face it has no bottom or body attached.

Craig’s Verdict: Well this certainly isn’t a happy snap for the family album it’s one of the scariest alleged ghost pictures I’ve seen for a while. Whatever it is, it has picked up some of the blue from the TV screen behind as well as streaks of colour from the light shade. No person was present you tell us so this clearly is either a demon from hell or an inanimate object caught close to the camera as you moved it. I’ll leave you to decide.

Who is the headless ghost in this picture?

Senders Comments: I was on holiday in Hastings and was watching the sea gull feeding and took a photo the later looked a pictures taken to notice a figure with a hat with the seagulls. I was using a digital camera.

At first glance this ghost looks just like a human figure dressed in some kind of spooky robe. To me it looks like it has no head- though there is a hint of a head in the picture. However if you look closely you can see that part of the ghost’s form is made by the after images of the flapping wings of the sea gulls. Our eyes fill in the rest from the white reflections in the glass. Take away the gulls and the figure is no longer seen. This is a fascinating picture but in my opinion is an optical illusion.

Is this a Picture of a Real Angel?

Sender’s comments: I took this photo with my mobile phone to show my friend where I’d been sleeping for a few days while waiting for an important phone cal to come through. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that I saw the photo and my friend pointed out that there was a figure in the room. We realise that the sunlight is a factor in this photo, but the curtains are drawn and with only a small gap to let light in.

You were clearly worried about something to have slept next to the phone for so long. It would be nice to think that this is your guardian angel looking over you to reassure you that all will be okay. To be honest I think it’s a trick of the light but nonetheless I do feel it is an auspicious omen. Perhaps when the phone does finally ring it will bring a message of good fortune.

Spirit Guide Transfiguration or Camera Wobble?

Sender’s Comments: A photograph of my spirit guide, probably the clearest image of a spirit guide manifestation. Clarity in this picture is amazing. There are also 3 faces not of mortal kind.

Craig;’s Verdict: Unfortunately you do not explain when this happened- was it at a séance while the mediums was in trance as the figure is slumped in an unusual way? I am very interested in the strange image of a person in the right of the picture in the blue area but am not convinced it is a real spirit manifestation. I believe that this is caused by a long exposure in low light conditions that has magnified a small light such as a reflection or a ‘on’ light from an electrical device. The strange faces are very interesting though and an extraordinarily weird image. There is more information about spirit guides captured on camera in the Edwardian Spiritualist Ghost Pictures section of this website.

Horrific Ghost Snapped at Old Folks Home!

Sender’s Comments: The photo was taken in a old people’s home in low light condition’s. The pixel’s are very low and when I took the photo there was no one in front of the camera. I was shocked as to what showed up on film.

This is certainly one of the most shocking ghost pictures we’ve received to date. It looks like someone’s granddad is about to be devoured by a giant bird! There is a consistent grain on the image caused by the low light which confirms that this image had not been tampered with. I think the ‘bird man’ is the blurred image of someone standing up quickly from the chair that is part visible in the foreground of the picture. The ‘beak’ may be a shadow on the wall behind. With such low light all sorts of things are possible. Next time I visit an old folks home, I’ll keep my eyes open for gigantic man eating birds- just in case I’m wrong about this one.

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Summary

Article Name

Ghost Photography

Author

Craig Hamilton-Parker

Description

These are pictures sent to my ghost pictures columns. The current column is in Fate & Fortune magazine. Are these images real or fakes - help me with my analysis.

About Craig Hamilton-ParkerCRAIG HAMILTON-PARKER is a celebrated U.K. medium who has confounded skeptics by the uncanny accuracy of his readings. Craig and his wife Jane have had their own TV shows in the UK and USA including 'The Spirit of Princess Diana'. In 2003 the BBC made a 3 part documentary about their work. Craig is the author of 15 books.

I took three simultaneous pictures of my daughter lying down in bed. In each picture there is ghost face of a baby that is very clear. I don’t know who it is, or why it is in there. Can I send you the ghost pictures for analysis? I took the ghost pictures the day before I moved house.

You cannot post ghost pictures on this page but in our community forums we have a ghost picture forum where you can upload your ghost pictures for analysis and comment. I also welcome pictures sent to my column for Fate & Fortune magazine. (Link at top of this page)

Most of the images in my ghost pictures archives are from my newspaper columns sent to me by the readers. My current column is in Fate & Fortune magazine. Permission for some of the Edwardian spiritualist ghost pictures – that you’ll also see on this site – came from various spiritualist friends who own the original copyrights. You can submit pictures for analysis via the magazines or at my community area where we also have a ghost picture forum. (See chat room link on left of page)

About the old folks home ghost picture: I am certain I know what this is. The ‘ghost picture’ of the bald man is a normal man wearing a tie and the specks in the picture makes him look like he has his mouth open. The so called “giant bird” ghost is actually a lady with longish blond hair and she’s facing the opposite direction to the men. She’s dancing or moving quickly and that’s why her hair is bouncing up off her back and giving the illusion of a beak.

Hi I believe that you are correct in your explanation of the “old folks home” ghost picture. Certainly there is no bird but a girl somewhere in her early to mid teens with long blonde hair wearing a blue denim bib style overall i.e. farmer overalls which we’re popular circa1910-1947 but upon close inspection to our right and the bald mans left there looks to also be an elderly woman with greyish white hair worn in a kind of messy way.

What I find interesting is that unlike many of the other pictures the spirits in this one eem unbothered or unaware of the living presence in the room where as most of the others seem to be looking or posing for their respective photo opportunities. To me, this denotes the authenticity of many pictures of “ghost or spirits.

I don’t see anything in the 3rd ghost picture. What am I supposed to be looking at? I have looked really hard and I see no phantoms. All I see is a room and that sheen to the right. No human like figure or anything.

In the bird man ghost picture. I don’t see a bird man at all unless we are talking about the man on the couch that seems to be growing a beak and wings. What alarms me is that claim no one was in front of the camera and I see a woman on the left facing left, a man sitting behind her and part of another man, and a big black shadow on the wall.

The ghost picture of the robed figure with the birds: if you look closely you can see it it the shoulder and sleeve of the person holding the camera, you can even see their arm extending out below the “robe”.